


family man

by samandbucky



Series: Bucky Barnes Bingo 2020 [8]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Meet the Family, Meeting the Parents, Old Man Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:02:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26128483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samandbucky/pseuds/samandbucky
Summary: Sam has always been a family man, and Bucky’s heard so many wonderful stories about his family. Sam suggests Bucky comes with him to meet them on his next visit, but just the thought of meeting new people gives Bucky anxiety.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Sam Wilson
Series: Bucky Barnes Bingo 2020 [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1747954
Comments: 2
Kudos: 59





	family man

**Author's Note:**

> Square Fill: Meeting The Family

Bucky isn’t sure how his relationship with Sam really started.

One minute, they’re arguing over something so incredibly stupid you would think that they both have mental issues, and then the next, they’re bonding together while on a roadtrip together during a mission. Turns out, Sam’s not really that annoying. Okay, maybe a little, but at least Bucky can love him for it now. They wouldn’t be Bucky and Sam if they didn’t playfully bicker with each other during missions.

Their relationship has been going steady for a little over six months now, and Bucky would like to say that this is the longest and most successful relationship that he’s ever been in, at least, from what he can remember anyways. Steve only told him a little bit of his love life before he turned old and retired.

Now, after months of constantly doing random missions, or press for the new Captain America, the two are finally home. They get to relax for a couple of weeks. Have some alone time.

“So,” Sam begins as he and Bucky are doing the dishes together, after finishing dinner.

“Oh no,” Bucky says, looking up at Sam. “I don’t think I like the sound of that so.”

Sam rolls his eyes. “Come on, it’s not that bad. Just hear me out, would you?”

“I mean, I’ll listen but I probably won’t like it. Out with it then,” Bucky says as he hands Sam another dish to put away. “What crazy idea have you come up with this time?”

“Excuse me, I’m not the one who comes up with crazy ideas. Any time we end up in a strange situation, it’s usually because of your idea,” Sam argues, though there’s a fond smile on his face. “Trust me Buck, I’ve talked to Steve about our adventures, and he totally agrees with me.”

“That little punk,” Bucky says, huffing. “I’m going to have a word with him next time I visit him.”

Sam chuckles. “Anyways. I was thinking, and you know… I’m planning on visiting my mom this weekend, and I realized you haven’t met my family yet. Maybe you should come with me,” he suggests.

Bucky instantly pauses, nearly dropping the dish in his hand. Just the mere thought of going and having to meet Sam’s family gives him anxiety. It’s not because of Sam’s family either, it’s because of Bucky’s past with the Winter Soldier. He’s not completely comfortable being around too many people yet, and Bucky purposely tries to limit the amount of people he comes in contact with these days.

Despite having a rather successful recovery, and putting the Winter Soldier completely in his past, Bucky’s still worried that he might get triggered and attack someone.

“There’s a reason for that, Sammy,” Bucky mumbles, setting the dish down in the sink.

Sam sighs softly. “I know,” he whispers. “But, you’ve been doing so well, Bucky. It’s been six months, and you’ve not had an incident. I know you want to distance yourself from the public as much as you can, but… maybe we can start off slow. My mom really wants to meet you.”

“You’ve been talking to her about me?” Bucky asks, looking over at Sam.

“Yes,” Sam admits. “She knows about our relationship. I haven’t told her anything specifically about you, but she knows who you are. She knows about the Winter Soldier. But, she’s not worried…”

Bucky scoffs at that. “Maybe she should be,” he mumbles. “I may have put the Winter Soldier to rest, but he will _always_ be a part of me, whether I like it or not. I can’t risk hurting another innocent human being, Sam. I won’t do it.”

“Bucky,” Sam begins desperately as Bucky starts to walk out of the kitchen. Sam sighs, and runs a hand over his head. He knows it’s not going to be easy to convince Bucky to meet his family, but he’s going to make it happen one way or another. He wants his family to meet the man who’s taken his heart.

A few days later, just before Sam’s planning on taking off to visit his mom, Bucky finds himself at the cabin Steve has decided to retire in. It’s by a lake, near where Tony lives so he has someone to look after him. Bucky’s visited Steve a few times. This place is good for Steve. It’s calm, cozy and comfortable.

“You’re home now?” Steve asks once they’re sitting in the living room.

“We’re back at Sam’s place,” Bucky confirms. “For a couple weeks at least.”

“That’s good. How is Sam doing?” Steve asks, looking up at Bucky.

“He’s doing fine. He’s taking on his new role like a champ. I wish you could see him in action. The videos I send you don’t quite do it justice,” Bucky says, smiling softly. “Sam says he’ll visit soon.”

“Well, tell him not to rush. I’m not going anywhere,” Steve says, and Bucky chuckles at that. “So, talk. There’s something on your mind. I can tell. Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s _fine_ Steve,” Bucky laughs, before letting out a quiet sigh. “I was just… uh, hoping to get some advice, I guess. You’re a wise, old man-” He grins when Steve rolls his eyes. “Anyways, Sam wants me to meet his family this weekend when he goes to visit, but you both know how I feel about being around new people. I’m not… comfortable with it. Being around new people makes me nervous.”

“Well, that’s not unusual. Sam’s a family man. _Of course_ he’ll want you to meet his family,” Steve says, like it’s such an obvious thing, and really… Bucky _should have_ seen this coming because Sam really is a family man. He talks about his family all the time, and Bucky finds it adorable.

“Well, yeah,” Bucky agrees. “But, Sam’s family is so important to him. What if he takes me to meet them, and some goes horribly wrong because of me. Sam would never forgive me and probably leave me, and then I’d never forgive myself. I can’t let that happen, Steve. I just can’t.”

“Bucky, that’s a lot of what ifs, and you can’t live your life based on those what ifs, especially after everything you’ve already been through,” Steve says calmly, despite Bucky panicking.

Bucky frowns as he stares at Steve. “S- So, you think I should go with him?”

“I think that you should do whatever will make you happy. But, if you really feel like something like this won’t be good for you, then don’t do it. I’m sure Sam will understand that you need more time to recover,”

Bucky chuckles at Steve’s words. “Like I said. Wise, old man,”

Later that night, Bucky goes home and thinks hard about what Steve said to him.

Bucky wants to meet Sam’s family. His mother sounds wonderful, and it would be nice to have someone like that in Bucky’s life, especially since Bucky has no family left. They’ve all been dead for a long time.

“You’re thinking so loud, I can hear you all the way in the living room,”

Bucky blinks a few times when he suddenly hears Sam’s voice. He looks over to see the man leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed against his chest, looking rather sleepy.

“‘M sorry,” Bucky mumbles. “I visited Steve today. He says things that make you think a lot.”

“Ain’t that right,” Sam chuckles, before making his way over to the bed. “How is he? Doing good?”

“Loving life,” Bucky replies. “He says not to rush to visit him. He ain’t going anywhere.”

“Of course he would say that,” Sam rolls his eyes fondly, before crawling onto the bed beside Bucky, and sitting beside him. “What wise things did the old man talk to you about today?”

Bucky bites his lip slightly, before looking over at Sam. “I talked to him about us,” that instantly causes Sam to pause and Bucky can see the sudden worry in his eyes. “He thinks I should do whatever I choose if it’ll make me happy. He knows how I feel, and I appreciate that he didn’t pressure me to choose something that would make me unhappy. Not that meeting your family would make me unhappy. I just…”

“I know,” Sam says softly. “I know it’s only been a few months, but I thought that because you’ve been doing so well, that maybe you would be ready to meet new people. But, I can understand why it would still be too soon for you and I promise that I’m not going to be upset if you decide not to go with me. My mom will understand your decision, and so will my sister. They’re going to meet you _eventually_.”

The expression on Bucky’s face softens, and he loves Sam so damn much that he truly doesn’t know how he got so lucky to be with someone like him. Someone so patient and willing to wait for him, when any other sane person would have left him already.

“Have I ever told you that I loved you?” Bucky asks, earning a laugh from Sam.

“You might have mentioned it a few times, but I wouldn’t mind hearing it once more,” Sam says, grinning.

“You’re a punk, and I love you,” Bucky says, leaning over to kiss Sam.

Sam smiles after the kiss finishes. “Oh, I’m a punk? Guess I spent too much time with Steve then,”

“Steve’s the ultimate punk. Started giving me grey hairs when I was a teenager. But, you’re just as much of a punk,” Bucky says, grinning. “Guess I have a certain type after all.”

“Man, shut up. You’re so damn annoying,” Sam says, laughing as he shoves Bucky playfully, before pinning him down on the bed and kissing him passionately.

Ultimately, Bucky decides not to go with Sam with his family this time. He feels terrible about it, and continues to sulk even after Sam has already left, despite Sam trying to assure him he’s not upset.

However, the very next day, Bucky has a change of heart. In the morning, he decides to pack a bag, and drive himself to Sam’s mom’s house. Sam doesn’t even know that he’s on his way, because it was such a last minute decision for Bucky, and he thought it would be _fun_ to surprise Sam.

So, a few hours later, he arrives at Darlene Wilson’s house.

“You can do this. You’re Bucky Barnes. Not the Winter Soldier. You can do this,” Bucky mumbles to himself as he slowly makes his way up to the front door. He takes a deep breath as he looks up, and it only takes him a moment before knocking on the door. Bucky’s well aware that this is a neighborhood, and there are people walking around and can clearly see him, but he’s trying not to think about that.

A moment later, the door opens, revealing an older woman. She looks up, and her eyes widen when she locks eyes with Bucky, and seems to instantly recognize him. “Oh my... Mr. Barnes?”

“Please, ma’am, call me Bucky,” Bucky says before flashing her one of his famous smiles.

“Oh, goodness. This is such a surprise. Sam! We’ve got a visitor!”

“A visitor? You never get any v-” Sam walks out into the hallway and looks up, stopping dead in his tracks when he sees that it’s none other than Bucky standing in the doorway.

“I’ll have you know, young man, that I get _plenty_ of visitors,” Darlene mumbles, but Sam’s too shocked seeing Bucky to even pay attention to his mom’s reply.

“Bucky?” Sam asks, slowly making his way closer. “What- What are you doing here? I thought-”

“I know,” Bucky takes a deep breath. “But, I thought it was time to get off my ass and conquer my fears, and finally come meet your family.” He gives Sam a small smile.

Sam chuckles and shakes his head. “You’re gonna be the death of me, Barnes,” he says, before walking over to Bucky and pulling him into a hug. “But, I’m so glad you’re here.”

“I’m glad I’m here too,” Bucky whispers, squeezing Sam tightly.

Sam pulls away from the hug, and clears his throat. He wraps an arm around Bucky as he looks over at his mom. “Mom, you already know who this is?” He asks, gesturing to Bucky.

“No. I don’t think introductions are needed, Sam. In case you didn’t know, I’m Darlene, Samuel’s mother,” she introduces, politely shaking Bucky’s human hand. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

“Good things I hope,” Bucky chuckles, glancing at Sam, who gives him a nod of encouragement.

“Of course good things. This is my Sammy we’re talking about,” she grins.

“Okay, enough of that,” Sam laughs, before gently leading Bucky further inside, and reaching over to shut the door. He walks back over to Bucky and pulls him in for a kiss, surprising Bucky.

“Sam?” Bucky asks, blinking a few times.

“Thank you,” Sam says quietly. “I know this wasn’t an easy decision for you to make. So, thank you.”

Bucky smiles softly at Sam “It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but you’ve already done so much for me. It’s time that I do this one thing for you,” he says, reaching over and grabbing a hold of Sam’s hand. “Plus, I’m dying to hear all the embarrassing childhood stories your mother has to tell.”

“Hey, wait a minute-” Sam begins, his eyes widening at the sudden realization.

“I’m so pleased that I finally get to share Sammy’s embarrassing childhood stories with someone,” Darlene says as she leads Bucky into the living room. “And we have so many photos!”

“And I cannot wait to see them,” Bucky says as he looks back at Sam, smirking at his boyfriend. “ _Payback_.” He mouths to him, for all the times Steve shared embarrassing childhood stories of Bucky to Sam, and there was nothing Bucky could do to stop them.


End file.
